Child hurt by cannon shrapnel

By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian • Published July 06, 2008

ROCHESTER – For the second consecutive year, metal shrapnel from an exploding cannon struck a Thurston County child during a Fourth of July celebration.

A cannon exploded about 10:30 p.m. Friday during an outdoor gathering in the 9200 block of Applegate Loop in Rochester, sending an 11-year-old boy to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with "severe lacerations to his leg and severe lacerations to his abdominal area," said Thurston County Sheriff's Sgt. Cheryl Stines.

Two adults also were injured when the cannon exploded: a 34-year-old male suffered severe abdominal injuries and a woman in her 30s suffered abdominal and leg injuries, Stines said. The sheriff's office would not release the names of those injured.

The woman was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia and the man to Providence Centralia Hospital, Stines said.

The person who owns the cannon bought it at a garage sale about a year and a half ago, she said.

The explosion occurred after the cannon had been loaded with smokeless gunpowder and paper towels, Stines said. It is about 1 foot tall, with a base about 2 inches wide, she said.

The case is under investigation, and it is too early to tell whether a crime occurred or whether any citations will be issued, Stines said.

On July 4, 2007, 8-year-old Devan Vyborny died after his grandfather lit a cannon during a celebration outside the man's home in the 6800 block of 105th Avenue, near Littlerock. The cannon exploded, shooting shrapnel into the crowd.

Also last year, a homemade cannon exploded near Montesano, injuring two men ages 19 and 25.

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.